Vacuum sweeper



E. R. HEAVNER VACUUM SWEEPER Sept. 19, 1961 2 Sheets$heet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1956 INVENTOR. 6421. Z #EflV/VEE JIE4 P 1961 E. R. HEAVNER 3,000,038

VACUUM SWEEPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1956 INVENTOR.

E/ EL E. H6!) VNEE BY 1 M w United States Patent 3,000,038 VACUUM SWEEPER Earl R. Heavner, Dayton, Ohio (215 E. 66th St., Apt. 4A, 'New York, N.Y.) Filed Jan. 17, 1956, Ser. No. 559,653 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-412) This invention relates to a vacuum sweeper.

One object of this invention is to provide a vacuum sweeper of light weight construction wherein the sweeper head and blower housing are integral and of molded plastic construction and wherein air foils are employed to reduce abrasion of the plastic surfaces by shielding these surfaces from particles carried in the air stream.

Another object of this invention is the provision of air deflection surfaces for directing the air stream efliciently to a dust collection bag.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable roller assembly in the suction port of the vacuum sweeper, the roller assembly serving as a support for the sweeper during use and also serving to obstruct the suction port so that large objects will not enter therein.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a blower assembly for the vacuum sweeper wherein the electric motor powering the blower unit is cooled by the dust laden air as the air travels through the sweeper.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the vacuum sweeper of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the sweeper head with some parts broken away and others shown in section. 7

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, elevational view, taken upon the plane indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, elevational view taken upon the plane indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, exploded view of the blower assembly used in this vacuum sweeper.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged, side elevational view of a dust bag for the sweeper, with a portion broken away.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a modification showing the conductor brought to the motor through the aperture between the air foils and the corresponding supporting flange.

Referring to the drawings, the vacuum sweeper, indicated generally at 10 in FIGURE 1, includes a hollow cup shaped blower housing 12 having one end closed by a wall 14. Integral with the housing 12 and the wall 14 is a sweeper head 16 which projects outwardly from the wall 14. The housing 12 and sweeper head 16 are of one piece molded plastic construction. The sweeper head 16 has a longitudinal slot or suction port 18 therein, the slot 18 serving as the port through which air is drawn into the sweeper. A duct 20, located centrally in the wall 14, connects the interior of the sweeper head 16 with the interior of the blower housing 12. As is evident in FIGURE 2., a continuous air channel extends from the longitudinal port 18 in the sweeper head 16 to the open end of the cylindrical housing 12.

Laterally extending flange portions 17 reenforce the sweeper head 16, so that, should the sweeper be accidentally dropped, for example, the sweeper head 16 will not break away from the blower housing 12.

Integral with the housing 12 is a substantially semicylindrical boss 22, into which is recessed an elongate Patented Sept. 19, 1961 tubular handle 24. The handle 24 is secured in the boss 22 with a bolt 26 extending through the boss 22 and the handle 24 into the housing 12, to threadedly engage a nut 28. A pair of hook members 30 and 32 are attached to the handle 24 and a gripping portion 34 engages the end of the handle opposite the boss 22.

A dust bag 35 encloses the open end of the housing 12, there being an elastic belt 36 along the margin of the open end of the dust bag for drawing the bag tightly against the wall of the housing 12. A peripheral flange 37 extends outwardly from the open end of the housing 12 to prevent the dust bag 35 from slipping off the housing 12. The dust bag 35 is preferably of the disposable type, made from air permeable paper, or other suitable materials. Inside the dust bag 35 is an inner collapsible sleeve 38, which cooperates with the outer wall of the dust bag to form a dust trap in the region therebetween. The design and construction of this dust bag, best seen in FIGURE 7, is the subject of a copending application. The dust bag 35 has a loop 46 extending from the closed end thereof to engage a hook 42 integral with the hook member 32, the dust bag thus being suspended in a vertically inclined position from the handle 24.

The vacuum sweeper is adapted to glide on a pair of adjustable rollers 44 located in the longitudinal port 18 of the sweeper head 16. The rollers 44 are mounted upon a thin wire axle 46 journalled to support blocks 48 recessed in the longitudinal slot 18. The axle 46 extends substantially the length of the longitudinal port 18, dividing the slot into two smaller longitudinal openings. The axle 46 thus restricts the size of particles which will pass through the port 18. The support blocks 48 are press-fitted into the longitudinal slot 18, providing for adjustment of the rollers 44 within the slot. Thus, the rollers 44 may be adjusted to project outwardly from the slot 18, so as to become partially embedded in the particular rug or carpet being swept, the edges of the longitudinal port 18 skimming the surface of the rug or carpet. One edge of the longitudinal port 18 is provided with teeth 50, which disturb the surface of the fabric being swept, dislodging dust particles trapped there- 1n.

Within the blower housing 12 is a blower assembly shown in exploded detail in FIGURE 6. Supporting the blower assembly components is a substantially circular support member or spider 52, having a peripheral flange 54 extending therefrom. The support member 52 is snugly seated in the housing 12 and secured in place by the bolt 26 and by rivets 56 and 58 engaging the flange 54. The support member 52 has a pair of arcuate apertures 60 therein and a pair of arcuate flanges 62 extending therefrom. The arcuate flanges 62 define a substantially cylindrical cavity 64-, into which is seated a resilient washer 66. The washer 66 may be made from any suitable elastomer.

Abutting the washer 66 is an electric motor 68, which is fastened to the support member 52 by studs 70 extending from the motor through the elastomeric washer 66 and the support member 52 to threadedly engage nuts 72.

The rotor shaft 74 of the motor 68 projects through a central hole 76 in the support member 52.

A centrifugal impeller 78, having a hub 80, is attached to the rotor shaft 74 with a cotter pin 82 projected through both the hub and the rotor shaft 74. The impeller 78 is positioned in close proximity to the Wall 14, with the center of the impeller aligned with the duct 20 therein. The blades 84 of the impeller 78 are positioned so that a counterclockwise rotation of the impeller, as viewed from the direction of the motor 68, will cause an air current to flow radially from the center of the impeller to its periphery. At the same time, the impeller will impart a rotary motion to the air mass, so that the air actually follows a sprial curve in moving toward the periphery of the impeller.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 6, the spoke-like portions of the support member 52 between the arcuate apertures 60 are twisted out of the plane of the support member, to thereby form a pair of helically extending air scoops 86. These air scoops impart to the support member the property of a screw type propeller. That is, if the support member could be rotated about a central axis, air would be propelled through the support member in a direction parallel to the axis of revolution thereof.

A pair of arcuate air foils 88 are welded, or otherwise attached, to the support member 52, there being one air foil 88 arching rearwardly from the support member 52 adjacent each air scoop 86 and forming a continuous curve with such adjacent air scoop. As seen best in FIGURE 6, these air foils are reinforced by the flanges 88a extending normal to the support member 52. Another function of the flanges 88a is to support the inner sleeve 38 of the dust bag 35, so that the opening into the dust bag is not obstructed by the sleeve.

The motor 68 is energized through an electrical conduotor 90 extending from the motor through the handle 24 and connectable to an external source of electrical energy. Shown in FIGURE 8 of the drawings, the conductor 90 may be brought to the motor 68 through the aperture between one of the air foils 88 and the corresponding supporting flange 88a. With this arrangement, the conductor is shielded from the abrasive action of the dust laden air stream. An off-on switch (not shown) may be provided in the gripping portion 34. When not in use, the length of electrical conductor extending outside the handle 24 may be wound upon the hook members 30 and 32.

M ode of operation The motor 68, when connected to a suitable source of electrical energy, rotates the impeller 78 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 6. The rotation of the impeller moves air from the center of the impeller to the periphery thereof, thereby creating a partial vacuum at the center of the impeller and a high pressure region at the periphery of the impeller. The partial vacuum causes a flow of air from the sweeper head 16 through the duct 20 into the motor housing 12. This produces a suction at the longitudinal slot 18, which draws dust and air into the sweeper head 16.

The high pressure region between the periphery of the impeller 78 and the cylindrical wall of the housing 12 causes an air movement in the direction of the support member 52, the path taken by the air being helical, due to the rotary motion impeller. As this rotating or swirling air approaches the stationary support member 2, the situation is the same as if the air were not rotating, but the support member 52 were rotating. That is, the. rotating air is propelled by the support member 52 in a direction parallel to the axis of revolution of the air. This propelling action reduces the air pressure on the approach side of the support member 52, thereby increasing the rate of flow of air from the impeller 78 to the support member 52. The net effect is to increase the air velocity in the direction of the dust bag 35.

It is to be noted that the air, in traveling through the vacuum sweeper housing, passes around the motor 68. Due to the cooling action of the air circulating around the motor, heat can be rapidly dissipated from the motor, thus permitting the use of a small motor having relatively high heat losses. The motor used in this sweeper, therefore, is smaller than that normally used in this application, but has the same power output.

In the absence of the foils 88, the dust laden air traveling about the motor would swirl in a helical path in the direction of the open end of the housing 12. This swirling action can lead to excessive abrasion of the plastic wall of the housing 12. To avoid this abrasion the foils 88 are placed in the housing 12, the foils serving to interrupt the helical flow of air and to guide the air into the dust bag. Further, in the event a heavy object is drawn into the housing 12, the foils provide a bafile for absorbing the impact of the object and for guiding the object out of the housing and away from contact with the wall of the housing.

This novel employment of air foils to prevent excessive abrasion of the wall of the housing 12 makes possible the use of molded plastic material in constructing the housing and the sweeper head. As a consequence, the manufacturing costs for this sweeper are substantially reduced.

The use of plastic is further recommended for the hook members 30 and 32, the rollers 44, and the gripping portion 34. The support member 52, the air foils 88, the impeller 78 and the handle 24 are preferably a metal such as aluminum or steel for the reason that high structural strength is needed for these parts. 7

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Ina vacuum sweeper comprising a hollow generally cylindrical housing, means providing a suction port at one end of the housing, said housing having an opening in the opposite end thereof, dust collection means attached to the housing and communicating with the opening in said opposite end, there being a continuous air channel extend,- ing from the suction port through the housing and into the dust collection means, a generally circular spider mounted transversely in the housing, said spider having an aperture therein permitting the passage of air therethrough, and blower means including a rotary air impeller supported by the spider, said impeller being disposed between the spider and the suction port and operating to move air rearwardly through the aperture in the spider to the dust collection means, the improvement wherein the spider includes means projecting helically upstream therefrom adjacent the aperture therein to form an air scoop for directing air through said aperture and means providing an air foil projecting downstream therefrom and forming a continuous curved surface with said air scoop for directing air through the housing, and means providing a flange projecting downstream from the spider engaging and supporting the air foil, the flange and the air foil cooperating with the spider to form a channel for an electric cable leading to the blower means which channel is shielded from the air stream and the housing.

'2. A vacuum cleaner including a spider member having a plurality of spoke portions radiating from an apertured center and terminating in an annular rim portion, a hollow housing into which the rim portion is snugly fitted, an electric motor fixedly attached to said spider member, said motor having an armature shaft projecting through the aperture in the center of the spider member, said housing having handle receiving means integral therewith, a handle seated in said receiving means, bolt means penetrating said handle, said housing, and the rim portion of said spider member securing said handle fixedly with respect to said spider member and said housing, an electric cable extending adjacent one of said spoke portions from the motor to the handle, said one spoke portion having spaced rearwardly directed wing portions receiving said cable for protectingthe cable from the air blast of the vacuum cleaner, and a blower wheel engaging the armature shaft of said motor on the end projecting through the aperture of said spider member.

3. A vacuum cleaner including a spider member having a plurality of spoke portions radiating from an apertured center and terminating in an annular rim portion, a hollow housing having an annular wall receiving said spider member, means securing said spider member within said housing, an electric motor fixedly attached to said spider member and having an armature shaft projecting through the aperture in the center of said spider member, an electric cable extending from said motor adjacent one of the spoke portions of said spider member and through the annular wall of said housing, said one spoke portion having spaced rearwardly directed wing portions receiving said cable for protecting the cable from the air blast of the vacuum cleaner, and a blower wheel engaging the armature shaft for said motor for moving air through the housing.

4. A vacuum cleaner including a spider member having a plurality of spoke portions radiating from an apertured center and terminating in an annular rim portion, a hollow housing into which the rim portion is snugly fitted, an electric motor fixedly attached to said spider member, said motor having an armature shaft projecting through the aperture in the center of the spider member, a handle fixedly attached to the annular rim portion of said spider member, an electric cable extending adjacent one of said spoke portions from the motor to the handle, said adjacent spoke portion having spaced rearwardly directed wing portions receiving said cable for protecting the cable from the air blast of the vacuum cleaner, and a blower wheel engaging the armature shaft of said motor on the end projecting through the aperture of said spider member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,126,732 Drake Feb. 2, 1915 1,392,874 Johnston Oct. 4, 1921 1,448,397 Friend Mar. 13, 1923 1,462,574 Hoover July 24, 1923 1,676,782 Jackson July 10, 1928 1,879,710 Reddig Sept. 27, 1932 1,980,438 Riebel Nov. 13, 1934 2,002,636 Leathers May 28, 1935 2,027,938 Taylor Jan. 14, 1936 2,028,090 Frantz Jan. 14, 1936 2,090,453 Leathers Aug. 17, 1937 2,103,099 Shank et al. Dec. 21, 1937 2,245,989 Leathers June 17, 1941 2,309,583 Frantz Jan. 26, 1943 2,333,017 Leathers Oct. 26, 1943 2,355,183 Snyder Aug. 8, 1944 2,482,166 Gage Sept. 20, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 376,343 Great Britain July 11, 1932 624,844 France Apr. 12, 1927 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Plastics Publication, October 1949, pages 81 and 82. 

